Chapter 90: Camping Trip Arc (5)

Chapter 90: Camping Trip Arc (5)

~Third POV~

[Day 2 Nighttime, The Beast Forest, Nagano, Japan]

*Grumble*

He is sitting in a private place where Kota hides near the cliffside, with his stomach grumbling in a small cave to the side. But Kota's eyes narrowed, smelling the scent of curry darting his eyes to see Ren as he spoke up in a casual tone, "You hungry, cuz I brought some chow. And you can't say no your stomach gave you out."

Kota got annoyed as he shouted at him childishly, "You…! How'd you find this place?"

Ren teased as he checked Kota's secret base in a casual tone, eyeing the sight, "Followed your footsteps in the ground. What is this supposed to be a secret base? Neat!"

Kota scowled at him as he responded in a harsh tone, pointing at Ren to leave he cried out loud, "Yes. Now get out of my hideout!"

Ren shrugged his shoulders as he offered the curry that he made in a casual tone to Kota getting near him, "Sure, but before that, you should eat. It's good for you. Don't you wanna grow up strong and healthy?"

However, Kota shook his head as he responded defiantly, "No! I'm fine. I don't need to eat!"

Ren, seeing this, pushed his curry plate to Kota in a neutral tone, "Yes, you do."

Kota cried back denying the food, "No, I don't!"

Ren pushes the food closer, "Yes you do."

Kota shook his head denying the curry, "No, I don't!"

Seeing this, Ren spoke the opposite in a calm tone, "No, you don't."

That was when Kota spoke back missing the issue, "Yes, I do!"

Ren smirked, handing him the plate with a smug expression, saying confidently, "Great! Here you go."

It took a few seconds for Kota to realize what dawned on him whining out loud, "Y – You… you tricked me! This is why I don't like heroes! You're all liars!"

Taking a seat leaning against the wall, Ren admitted that much, being blunt, surprising Kota with his words, "Oh boy, you have no idea how right you are. But hey, what can I expect being heroes, right little guy? Not a big fan of them myself if we're being real."

Kota froze, looking at Ren differently and confused, asking, baffled, "B-but you're training to be a hero?!"

Ren scoffed at that as he responded, looking at the stars above with a smile on his face, mumbling in a chill tone, "Not by choice, though. At least not entirely. I'm not gonna leave a shrimp to do the job. Probably didn't expect me to say that now did you?"

He chuckled, seeing Kota's baffled expression, with Ren showing a rare moment of disdain for heroes. Kota couldn't help but exclaim out loud in a confused tone, "You're weird…!!"

However, seeing Ren isn't leaving, Kota begins to eat his food, reluctantly, admitting the good food tastes excellent. Both looked at the stars looming in the sky, shimmering beautifully.

After a while of silence, Ren spoke up in a neutral tone breaking the silence between the two, "Your parents, they were the Water Hose, weren't they?"

Kota sent a glare at him as he spoke up in an annoyed tone, "Did Mandalay tell you?!"

Ren merely shook his head as he explained in a resolute tone, eyes staring at the stars, "No. I figured it out. I feel ya pain, kid."

Kota gritted his teeth as he spoke out in an angry tone about Ren's assumption of understanding him, "Shut up. Don't talk as if you know what it's like! Everyone's crazy… calling each other stupid names, like heroes and villains, killing each other, talking about Quirks and stuff all the time… all just to show off idiots."

This time, Ren turned his face, looking down at Kota as he smiled, ruffling his hair in an honest tone, "Yeah, no kidding. But someone's gotta stand up to dumbasses that want to hurt people. But if you want, I can show you something cool to keep your head from thinking of heroes and villains, at least for today. You want to see how close the stars are?"

*Swf*

Using [Wormhole], Ren opened a portal with enough distance from it to be safe, viewing the vastness of space twinkling on the other side filled with stars. Kota looked but couldn't help but be mesmerized, stopping with his sobs simply as the two enjoyed the silence, being at peace, ignoring everything just for tonight.

/////

[Day 2 Nighttime, The Beast Forest, Nagano, Japan]

*Whooosh*

Meanwhile, a far distance away from the Wild, Wild Pussycat building, a group of villains began to scout the area with a large cloth figure asking in an annoyed tone, "I'm itching… itching to go… let's hurry up and move…!"

Another villain wearing a military gas mask spoke out in a neutral tone behind Dabi and Rock taking charge, "It's too soon. Besides, as I already told you, there's no need to do anything flashy."

Dabi, using binoculars, observing the flash of light giving off the location, spoke in a stoic tone, "Yeah. But who died and made you boss? This will just be a signal fire. We'll fill those heroes full of holes… and put them in their place. All for a brighter future."

Rock, snapping his fingers, eyed the group of students, unaware of them, he spoke confidently of their job, "Sure, sure, Dabi. We have to wait as per orders what a drag, man… Mustard and Muscular simply want to play."

However, the gas-masked villain named Muscular voiced his annoyance with Rock, "Our shadowy orchestrator has planned everything. Despite appearances… there is sure to be sound reasoning behind it all."

Rock simply remained silent knowing who their boss was. But soon the hooded figure cracked his knuckles asking in an annoyed tone, "Who the hell cares? Let us get down there. My blood's pumping over here."

Dabi gazes at Muscular in an annoyed tone glaring lightly with mild annoyance, "Shut up, you wackjobs. Not yet… we wait… until all ten are here."

That was when three more villains appeared, and one of them spoke up in a confident tone, "Hi, darlings! Sorry to keep you waiting."

One that was named Moonfish mutters through his mouth in a deranged tone, "A job… job… so hungry…"

With the three villains appearing, the group soon looked at the location where the Wild, Wild Pussycat Office is located as Dabi spoke up in a stoic tone, "Doesn't matter how many punks with ambition you bring along. That only increases the risks. It's far better to have a small number of experienced elites. First, we'll make them understand that their peace rests in our hands."

*Beep*

Dabi soon received a text grinning from All for One's spy within the heroes. Unaware to them someone already knew simply waited for the spy to act…

/////

[Day 2 Nighttime, Wild Pussycat Office, Nagano, Japan]

*Beep*

After everyone fell asleep for the night, too tired to wake up, the boys were all asleep for the night… except for Yuga Aoyama. He fearfully woke up in the middle of the night as he began to escape to the bathroom.

With no one around, he began to take out his phone, sending text messages of his location, and his eyes filled with guilt muttering out loud, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry – Hmph!"

*Whp*

Before Yuga could respond, he was suddenly caught in the act and captured by a familiar capture weapon. His eyes became alert, seeing it was Ren, Aizawa, and King Vlad. Eraser Head spoke up, speaking in a stern tone, "Yuga Aoyama… you better hope this isn't what I think it is… I really hope that one of my students isn't a traitor."

His eyes became frantic, struggling. Ren soon grabbed his phone, eyes narrowing, reading out loud in a stern tone, "This here is the coordinates where the Hero Course Students would come. Wait a day for the students in remedial test in the main building of the Wild, Wild Pussycat Office. These are the only following Heroes present…"

Yuga's eyes looked down, ashamed, as if any spirit or free will he had left vanished. But there was a glint of surprise as Ren explained in a defeated tone, "Sorry, Aoyama… but when everyone was busy, I switched their phones with my fakes. Fakes that have been tampered with listening to your conversations and decoded text messages to catch you slip being the traitor in our class…"

Yuga bound only looked down, tears dripping from his face as Aizawa frowned, seeing that one of his students was the traitor. Aizawa gazed intently at him in a disappointed tone, "I hoped this wasn't the case when Nezu informed me of a traitor. We'll talk about how much you revealed… Ren…. Can you explain what happened to your Classmates that Yuga Aoyama is hereby being expelled from the Hero Course… and King Vlad can you take over my class for the time being."

*Swf*

Both solemnly nodded their heads. Ren began opening a portal using his [Wormhole] as Aizawa took Yuga's phone, entering through the other end with Yuga in toe, seemingly losing the meaning of any future.

Seeing this scene happen, Ren wouldn't say he was that connected with Aoyama, but at the same time, he didn't help but feel guilty seeing a friend turn out this way. With them gone, Ren thought as he returned to his room curiously, 'This is not gonna end well tomorrow…'

*Pat*

Feeling a pat on his shoulder, King Vlad spoke up in a sincere tone about the situation, seeing Ren's crestfallen expression, "Ease up, kid. You helped a lot more than you know for your class and everyone here notifying us. I'm sorry you had to see one of your very own classmates be taken like this, though…"

Showing a sad smile and a moment of weakness, wiping a small tear from his face, he spoke in a calmer tone, "Yeah… I just wish he could've spoken up, but… I'm managing I didn't get to know the guy well, but…"

Patting over Ren's shoulder, King Vlad responded in a kinder tone to him about the revelation of the news, "Yeah. Either way, thanks to you, my students wouldn't have to be barraged by villains the next day. But to be on the safe side, have everyone evacuate in the morning and let the Pro heroes handle this. You've done good, kid you saved not only your friends but your classmates' trouble with their lives intact. It's a hero's job to save people."

Ren could only nod as they left the bathroom. But over the corner, Kota overheard the conversation with widened eyes, contemplating the news…

/////

[Day 2 Nighttime, Wild Pussycat Office, Girls Cabin, Nagano, Japan]

Meanwhile, over on the girl's side, the Girls of Class 1-B and 1-A both came along talking to each other, forming a sleepover. The room was a simple washitsu room with only ten tatami mats, smaller than the boys' room since there were fewer girls to accommodate.

Setsuna, along with her classmates of Class 1-B, with a grin, said in an excited tone, "Finally great to meet you, Class 1-A. Been meaning to talk with ya hopefully, this slumber party idea will help the class connect."

Before being invited, the Class Rep of Class 1-B Setsuna wanted to see if it was possible to form a friendly relationship with Class 1-A. The only girls in Class 1-B were Setsuna, Ibara, Pony, and Reiko.

That and hanging around other girls since most classmates of Class 1-B had dudes being a sausage fest. Toru clasped her hands together, being friendly as they all had their sugary snacks with them in a cheerful tone, "You say it, sister! Glad to finally talk without it being a contest with that Neito guy spouting nonsense."

The girls of Class 1-B agreed, with Setsuna grinning in eagerness, apologizing for her classmate's issues. Soon, they sprang into action, spreading the sweets out in the middle of the room, buying a bunch of soft drinks from the nearby vending machine, and rolling up their futons to use in place of floor cushions.

The girls of class A added their snacks to the pile, and everyone raised cups for a toast. The sweets and good company put their bodies and minds at ease this simple chance to chat and hang out was a welcome, exciting relief in the middle of training camp.

With slightly flushed cheeks, Yaoyorozu glanced around, unable to hold back her own delight as she asked, "To tell the truth, this is my very first slumber party… Could someone explain how this is meant to go?"

Mina soon began to explain to Yaoyorozu the details of how a slumber party works, causing Toru to ask to talk about interesting topics. The energy level in the room shot up a little. Mina agreed happily as Asui said in a confused tone, "A conversation about love, then?"

Hearing Asui's comment, the girls agreed with Jiro, showing slight hesitation. Kendo was forcing a smile as she replied helplessly, "So that's where we're taking this, huh."

Momo gasped as she flustered out loud saying, "L-love? Before marriage, though?"

The ever-nunlike Shiozaki was on Yaoyorozu's side as she said in a neutral tone, "I must agree. Marriage is a promise made before God…"

Each girl was excited about this in her way (or not), so the conversation switched to romance. Hagakure took charge and got the ball rolling saying out loud, "So, who's got a boyfriend?"

They all glanced around on obvious pins and needles, but nobody made a peep. The silence hung in the air for a moment before being broken by an aghast Hagakure, "Huh? Nobody? Really?"

The energy subsided a little as the girls all shook their heads. None of them seemed to be hiding a secret relationship status, at any rate. A sense of gloom descended over the room even Toga refused to say anything.

They all had friends who'd gone on to normal high schools without hero programs, and those friends always had stories about so-and-so dating this one or that one. As these girls understood it, high school was supposed to be a time for reveling in young love.

Kendo with a grimace, prompting profound nods from the group as she said in a nervous tone, fidgeting her hands, "Well, not like there was time for that at the end of middle school, what with cramming for exams. And we haven't exactly had the luxury since starting U.A., either."

There was a lot to learn on the road to becoming pro heroes, so students of the Hero Course attended classes Monday through Saturday. Beyond the practical exercises, they also had ordinary school subjects with the usual homework and tests, so free time.

But soon, Mina leaned forward hungrily. The romance spark wouldn't be so easily snuffed out, and Mina was more than willing to live it up vicariously if the others had stories to offer, as she said in an annoyed tone, "Argh, but romance! I wanna hear something to tug at the heartstrings! How about crushes? Are any of you gals crushing on someone? And no, Toga, you don't count."

Toga slowly raised her arm down, pouting as the girls in Class 1-A knew what Mina meant. But it was at that moment that Ochaco suddenly recalled Aoyama's words to her during the practical portion of their final exam, muttering out loud, "Crushes, huh…"

Noticing Ochaco's reaction, Asui asked in a blunt tone, "Hmm? What's wrong, Ochaco?"

Noticing her slip up, Toru asked who Ochaco had a crush on as Mina tagged in, saying in an excited tone, "Who is it, who is it? We'll keep it a secret between us girls!"

As the two cupids closed in on Uraraka, her cheeks somehow grew even redder than usual. She panicked, denying any claims, but Toru and Mina were coming after her like a pair of hard-boiled detectives, and at the word love, Ren's face popped into her head again.

She waved her hands around to chase away the image and accidentally grazed her interrogators, sending them floating into the air with her [Zero Gravity] Quirk. Ochaco quickly apologized, letting them go as she brought her fingertips together and canceled the effects.

*Thud*

The two girls flopped down onto some futons. Seeing this, Ibara said as she gently stroked Ochaco's head with all the compassion she could muster in a kind tone, "How awful, that the body would react in such a way to the topic of love… Could the Lord truly have been so cruel while creating us?"

However, this only got Mina fired up again. With renewed vigor, she said in a defiant tone, encouraging her girls, "See? This is why we girls gotta open up about romance every so often! So, let's hear it any actual crushes?"

Nobody so much as twitched this time. It wasn't that Mina wanted a boyfriend of her own since no one in her school would touch her with her Quirk [Acid]. She wasn't after love for herself since she knew full well that she and the others had to devote themselves to their hero education for the time being.

That said, once the seed of romance was planted in her brain, it had to sprout and bloom. She needed that tight-chested feeling that only came from the perfect sappy story. That sweet shudder down the spine, sparked by schmaltz. The almost-magical sensation that filled the heart to bursting.

That could sustain Mina in the meantime, feeding the girlie girl within, and what better time to refuel than these precious few evening hours of training camp? This jumble of emotions reached the other girls wordlessly, but though they nodded at her, not one of them could come up with a romantic anecdote of her own.

The conversation had come to a standstill again, but Toru had another idea as she said curiously, "How about we get our fill with, uh, y'know, hypotheticals!"

Gaining interest Asui said curiously, "How, exactly?"

Reiko looked just as wary and said, "That might not end well."

That was when Toru suggested her idea of using their imagination to think of scenarios with the girls having some doubts. But Kendo spoke up as if she was an old hand at this, smiling and sitting cross-legged on the other side of the circle from Mono, "Slumber parties are all about easy, breezy chatting, though. Just another way for us to communicate about anything we want."

The latter was immediately impressed by the former's open-minded attitude. But soon, the girls fell into deep thought. But soon Momo gasped, remembering something as Mina asked, "Hmm? Gonna tell us who you wanna go out with, Momoyao?"

Mina drew close to Momo in hot anticipation, but Momo responded with an awkward smile as she said awkwardly, "No, not me. I was thinking of Jiro."

Jiro blinked, having been caught off guard, and Momo blushed a little as she tried her hand at romance talk in a nervous tone, "I just recalled how well you seem to get along with Kaminari… What do you say to that?"

Jiro's face scrunched in clear embarrassment, and to her left, Asui put one finger to her lower lip as the rock girl said in a bashful huff, "Ugh, knock it off! He's just easy to talk to, is all. But he was the type of flake to cheat on a girl the first chance he got. He's a big fat womanizer trying to be cool."

At the word womanizer, the same image popped into every girl's mind, and practically in sync, they flinched. But the remembrance of the pervert who was expelled and attempted to get a ride from Momo during the Sports Festival flickered in their minds.

Mina instantly said with fiery spirit in her eyes that the girls in Class 1-A agreed in a determined tone, "I'd take anyone in the whole world over Mineta! That twerp is the embodiment of lust!!"

Soon, Mina said to Setsuna, wiping tears from her eyes in a curious tone, "Anyone in class B similar to him?"

Setsuna, with a dismissive wave of her hand, replied in a casual tone, "No way. Our boys are straight arrows. Buncha hard-liners. Ah, we've got Monoma, of course… but his personality, eh…"

The girls of class B were accepting of their somewhat eccentric classmate despite his faults as Toru bluntly said holding nothing back, "He's actually not bad looking, so it's a shame he's such a wacko!"

The girls of Class B could only nod their heads but soon Toga asked curiously, "Speaking of hot dudes, how about Todoroki?"

Everyone pictured Shoto Todoroki and couldn't help but agree. The handsome boy was the independent sort who lived life at his own pace, and the girls couldn't think of a single downside to Todoroki until Kendo spoke up recalling his background, "Oh, you mean Endeavor's kid?"

The thought of Todoroki's fiery father stopped them in their tracks. No way a relationship would survive with the number two hero breathing down your neck as they shivered at a potential letdown because of his daddy issues.

Then the topic changed to Ida imagining a relationship with that stickler would be like. That was when the girls realized how exhausting that relationship would be, and Ida was quickly eliminated as a viable option.

But soon, Mina said the one question in a curious tone getting various reactions to his name, "How about Bakugo?"

Hearing his name, Jiro instantly said in a stoic tone, ending Bakugo's chances, "No way. He's smart, and he's probably got a bright future, but…that personality. Yeeeesh."

The girls discussed the rest of the boys in succession, but each got eliminated by one harsh judgment or another, like so many soap bubbles popping into nothing. The very last one bit the dust, still with no heartstring tugs to speak of.

Till they reached the last name, Mina spoke up in a curious tone, "How about Yuki?"

Hearing that name, Ochaco and Toru's hearts started to pound again. Setsuna, seeing a mixed reaction with a wide grin showing her spikey teeth, asked curiously, "Oh? Seems like a couple of you seem to like your Class Rep."

Listening to her words, Momo was the first to respond in a happy tone about Ren, "Yeah… he a very reliable person to have and heroic. And well…"

Her face blushed beat red as Mina shamelessly responded with a bit of drool, "He got the hottest body. I mean, looking at his hot body… hehehe… my type of guy. His strong! But also, with a childish side sometimes? A wild guy who plays by his own rules but always sticks by your side!"

Toga nodded her head, agreeing with a blush on her face, cupping her face together in an embarrassed tone, "Yeah… he the most loyal there is. And not only that but the best chef and masseurs also anyone could ever ask for, hehehe…"

To that, the girls all gulped at that remark. Both Class 1-A and 1-B tasted his cooking, and it was clearly out of this world. And whenever they got beaten up or tired, they felt the magic touch of his hands using his [Massage] skill to quickly return to training and made them feel a tingly sensation.

Even Asui nodded her head with a light blush on her face as she bluntly said, looking a bit embarrassed, "Yuki, right… He's just about the hardest worker you'll ever meet. It's like everything he does is aimed at getting him one step closer to being a hero. Not only that, despite being a hero in training, his shown to be heroic when the situation calls for it in dangerous times, Ribbit."

The girls nodded as they knew when a situation would go out of hand, he would rise to the challenge. Shown during the USJ Incident and I-Island Incident both separate times, showing he had the potential.

Kinoko had her face beat red, twirling her fingers together as she confessed in an embarrassed tone, "Y-Yeah… he even helped me and Tour-chan get to the Sports Festival and Exams… he a likable guy. I-I wouldn't mind…"

Kinoko's words soon turned to silent whispers as the girls of Class 1-A's eyes slightly widened, knowing what Ren wanted. Kendo, being the first to quickly recover with an evident blush on her face, quickly changed topics in a rushed tone, "A-Ahem! Since we're done discussing romance, how about we talk about something else!!"

The girls in Class 1-B blinked their eyes. But Setsuna's grin broadened slightly as she asked in a mischievous tone, "Oh…? I believe we have more to talk about, like your Class, Rep. How about we talk about him, ladies?"

Wiggling her eyebrows, the girls in Class A coughed lightly as Toga grinned, seeing Setsuna react in a curious tone, 'Oh? I like this girl very bold and straight to the point. I wonder if Ren-Sama likes a girl like her… She does have a Quirk that can detach her body. I wonder what kind of kinky things she could get away with~'

The night continued to progress through the night as the girls discussed Ren, unaware of what was about to come the next day…